Long Division Festival enouraging young people in Wakefield to get involved in music

I am so buzzing, and this is pinnacle of a few years of music obsession in which I’ve driven my parents to madness / gladness, listening, playing, buying, and reading about

music.

Music at school wasn’t my thing, (the one electric guitar was shared between the class) but I’d started listening to my dad’s old Beatles and Thin Lizzy records, and rocking out round my mate Dean’s house with his dads Queen vinyl.

We’d then found Green Day, Nirvana, Dylan, Punk and Folk and Reggae, and more, and spent all our money on CDs at HMV outside The Ridings. One mate actually had the internet, in their house! And so was printing off some guitar tabs so we could learn the songs.

Next came gig-going, at Players and McDermott’s, bussing off to Leeds on the 110 for the bigger bands. Soon, the Leeds Festival rite of passage. This led to us forming bands, writing songs, and putting on gigs of our own.

Fast forward 20 odd years and music is still a big part of my life, and putting on gigs in pub back rooms has turned into Long Division Festival - but I’m now watching a fresh group of Wakefield teenagers who are ready to change the world with music, as part of my job as Education Manager for Long Division.

I never thought I’d be getting paid to do something as fun as this, and working with my old mate Dean too (Freeman, LD Festival Director and Founder). But it’s serious business, in a city where ‘less than 25% of Wakefield residents are engaged in cultural activity, and 41% "never engage." (Report: Perceptions of and Participation in Arts and Culture in Wakefield) at Long Division we reckon opportunities to see music, make music, and take music further are more important than ever.

I can’t remember seeing any live music at school outside of the annual musical theatre production, so we take professional artists to schools in the WF district. Soundcheck provides students with the experience of a professional, live music event – in their very own school hall!

We took hip hop hero Leon Rhymes (from Too Many T’s and also a Bretton Hall alumni) fresh from Glastonbury to wow the kids, and he then helped students to write and record their own music, and learn about the music industry from the rappers mouth - so to speak.

Helen Le Page, Music Teacher said: It is brilliant for students to see actual musicians and members of the music industry it was inspiring for everyone and it was fun! It helps their creativity and gives students ideas about performing and technique. They were able to develop and record lyrics too.

Like me and Dean, we hope these young people will want to go see more music, and be inspired to stage events of their own, and so we set up a programme called Access All Areas where participants get access behind the scenes of Long Division as an organisation and learn how to learning how to stage events, book bands, promo shows, and make things happen.

One parent said about our AAA programme: my child is having the time of their life at the moment; they’ve said that so many times. It's given a real sense of belonging quite quickly – and they seem far more excited about the future too, all of it is exactly what was needed.

After two successful rounds of AAA, we’re looking for 5 new creatives, do-ers, and dreamers, to come to Long Division and then spend this summer checking out WahWah Records, T-Shirt printing, making, playlist sharing , venue touring, and gig seeing, before producing a final project - to curate, coordinate, and run a live event stage. The young people all receive a Silver level Arts Award for their work. If you or someone you know might like this, you can email [email protected].

Daisy Fanthorpe, AAA graduate 2021 grabbed the opportunity with both hands; and has since undertaken work experience for LD, attended our song-writing classes, volunteered at events, and also been paid to photograph our gigs. She performs live on Friday night at Long Division this year!

Her music mad energy reminds me of me, and as a young lad in Wakefield with my first guitar on my back, joining AAA would’ve been a dream.

We’ve space for bands of course too, and as I lean back on my chair at Wakefield College, where we’re running our Amplify mentoring programme, and listen to the new young bands who’ve spent the last six weeks with professional artists, writing new songs, and rehearsing ready to perform at festival I wonder: How many other music mad teenagers are out there, digging through their mums’ cassettes, and learning guitar lines, but aren’t sure where to go or what to do next?

With all our programmes FREE to join, we’re training, developing, and encouraging the future of music in our city, and would love you to be part of it.

Catch Daisy Dorothy at Westgate Chapel, Friday, June 10 at 7pm and Amplify bands Saturday, June 11 12.45pm at The Hop.